Category: Makeup Palettes

Chanel Entrelacs Les 5 Ombres de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette ($80.00 for 0.21 oz.) is a set of five shades in the neutral category that range from “light to deep, satiny to matte.” They’re very soft, but they turn powdery and seem to apply softer than they appear in the pan. I think the formula is one that needs a base, probably something with some tackiness, if you want more coverage. If you like a very soft, semi-sheer neutral look, then you may enjoy this palette.

Tisse d’Automne #4 is a blackened olive green with a fine shimmer that gives it more of a satin-matte look applied. It was on the powdery side, which made it harder to apply–it took more work to blend out the color to avoid patchiness. The color showed signs of fading after seven and a half hours of wear. Urban Decay Cobra (LE, $19.00) is warmer (95% similar). Clarins Forest #3 (LE) is darker, better quality (95% similar). theBalm #42 (P, $6.50) is more shimmery (90% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

Charlotte Tilbury Medium/Dark Filmstar Bronze & Glow ($68.00 for 0.52 oz.) is a new, permanent take on the often-raved about Filmstar Bronze & Glow that’s deeper and warmer. I think the texture is a bit more refined–smoother, more finely-milled, and forgiving on the skin–in the original, but this is still quite good. Both shades are good or better pigmentation that was buildable, while they were easily blended out on the skin. I had no problem wearing both powders all day long. I hope the brand will come out with an even darker version and/or cooler-toned varieties.

Medium/Dark Glow is a brightened pop of orange with warm undertones and a soft, orange-gold shimmer-sheen finish. The texture was soft, fairly smooth, and blendable. It had semi-opaque color payoff that was buildable in two passes, if desired. The shimmer in the powder didn’t emphasize pores, as it was finer and combined with the powder better than the bronzer. On my medium complexion, it added color and luminosity, so for some skin tones it may be an additional bronzer and/or highlighting blush, while for darker skin tones, it may be more of a traditional highlighter. It lasted for eight and a half hours on my skin. Sephora Secretive (19) (P, $14.00) is lighter, more muted (90% similar). Surratt Beauty Flamme (P, $32.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar). Colour Pop Parasol (LE, $8.00) is more shimmery (90% similar). Anastasia Peach Nectar (P, $28.00) is more shimmery, darker (85% similar). Becca Tigerlily (P, $34.00) is less shimmery, darker (80% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

Charlotte Tilbury x Norman Parkinson Filmstar Bronze & Glow ($80.00 for 0.54 oz.) is a cream-based bronzer and highlighter. Both shades had a really slick, almost greasy feeling to them, which will make them more forgiving even on drier skin types, but I found that it made it hard to get the product to really stay where it was applied and resulted in patchy, more uneven coverage overall. It was shorter-wearing, and the higher slip in the texture made these better suited for bare skin or applied over still-damp base products.

Sun Light (Filmstar Glow) is as softened, light-medium gold with bronze tones and lighter gold pearl. It had semi-sheer color payoff that applied with a soft sheen that didn’t emphasize the skin’s natural texture. The emollient consistency made it harder to apply without also moving everything underneath it, so it is a product best applied with fingertips-patted on–if applying over foundation or better yet, used over bare skin. It started to break down after five and a half hours on me. Becca Opal (P, $38.00) is darker. Becca Opal (P, $38.00) is darker. Laura Geller Gilded Honey (P, $24.00) is more shimmery. Josie Maran Argan Enlightenment (Original) (P, $26.00) is darker. See comparison swatches/ compare dupes side-by-side.

MAC Lapisluxe Veluxe Pearlfusion Eyeshadow Trio ($25.00 for oz.) is a cooler-toned shades. The three shades coordinate well together, but the Veluxe Pearlfusion is one of those eyeshadows that you may love or easily skip right on by. This formula is supposed to have “sheer coverage with a soft finish” when applied dry and “super saturation of colour with metallic brilliance” when applied wet. My experience with this formula is that sometimes it can be really nice, other times it is a total miss. I think they are most practical used damp or over a slightly tacky base if you want to use them dry. They’re actually longer-wearing than you might think, given how they feel and swatch, but I usually get seven to eight hours of crease-free wear.

Guerlain Les Cendres Eyeshadow Palette ($65.00 for 0.25 oz.) is a muted set of neutral shades ranging from taupe to warm beige. I haven’t seen this pop up online yet, but it should be available soon as the majority of the fall collection is making its way online already. It features the newer eyeshadow formula, which I haven’t had good luck with for the most part (some shades are decent but some have been real misses!) as it tends to be powdery, prone to sheering out, and shorter-wearing. After testing this quad, it seems like the newer formula works better with a more matte to satin finish than the more frosted ones. They applied a lot better, though they didn’t wear particularly long, but at least I was able to come out with a decent look.